


remember always the blood (sin and power)

by InsaneScriptist



Series: Sin and Power [1]
Category: Fairy Tail, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Drabble Format, Enma reincarnates, Fairy Tale shenanigans, Gen, He's Gildarts' oops child, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Red Team is to be feared, because fuck writing transitions, family drama is ridiculous at times, which does make him Cana's older brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-06-10 18:33:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15297513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsaneScriptist/pseuds/InsaneScriptist
Summary: Enma dies. Enma lives. Enma remembers.Some things never change though.





	1. Chapter 1

**Remembrance**

In the irony of ironies, he had a Dark Guild by the name of Zombie Shuffle -at least that’s who the Rune Knight said attacked his village- to thank for remembering.

Not everything, not all at once but enough to know how to manipulate gravity and blast the mage through the wall, into his Guild Leader and knock the both of them into the village well. Which turned into a sink hole and consumed most of the Zombie Shuffle guild at once.

It was the end of the dark guild that profited most from human trafficking, known for producing docile and obedient slaves thanks to mages experienced in mental magic. A spell interrupted and twisted by someone he could not remember now...

If only… if only…

If only it what he could remember wasn’t so dear a cost.

**Discussion**

“Captain, what shall we do with the survivors?”

“For those that are willing to stay, we shall help them clean up. For those too young and lacking in guardians, we shall see them settled with relatives or at an orphanage.”

“Can we afford that? With the-”

“I’ll take it out of my own pay, if I can’t get the council to pay for it. Cleaning up after the messes dark guilds make is always expensive.”

**Nature**

He supposed he wasn’t supposed to hear the Captain mutter about ‘those damn bastards spending tax money on looking good instead of being good.’

It seemed that human nature really hadn’t changed.

Even in a world that had magic as an everyday thing.

**Relative**

“So, kid, do you have any relatives?”

He nodded. “My aunt and uncle said my father worked for a Mage Guild.” He remembered that but he had no context for it; he vaguely remembered their faces.

“But you don’t know him?”

“No. Mom died in childbirth, so I lived with her sister who was my aunt. All I’ve got left is my cousin.” And he gripped her hand more tightly.

At least this time, he could save someone.

His parents might be dead too but at least he had his sister. Cousin.

**Name**

“So what’s the name of the guild? And yours and your cousins’ too. Can’t just keep calling you kid.”

“My name is Enma. This is my cousin, her name is Mami.”

“Those are Eastern names right?”

“Uncle was Eastern.” A refugee from another country, he remembered when his uncle was showing Enma a map of the world.

“And the guild?”

“It’s in Fiore in some place called Magnolia.”

“I know the one you’re talking about. We get complaints about it all the time. Captain’s going to have a fit. Don’t worry, you’ll fit right in with all this destruction."

That was rude of him.

**Arrival**

There was a short old man that flagged down the Rune Knights at the gate outside of Magnolia.

Mami had asked about why we hadn’t taken the train at the last station and the Rune Knights were happy to talk to her; something about a section of the tracts being stolen, so until the culprits were caught, the trains were either going slower than walking or not at all if it wasn't a one-time thing. All that time on the road was good as I wasn’t up to conversation but listening was better than thinking about all the things I did and didn’t remember.

I learned a lot about how the Rune Knights were structured and the current issues that the Knight was willing to share with two kids.

I didn’t remember everything, but that was fine. I think.

What I did remember was enough.

No one had said it outright but I had killed all of Zombie Shuffle.

No one had made it out of the sinkhole.

Except for Mami and I.

**Guild Master**

The short old man was the Guild Master, Makarov.

“So these two are my new children?”

“Enma’s said his father was part of Fairy Tail, but he didn’t know who.”

“With that color of hair, there’s only one option."

"Who?" I ask, because that means he's alive at least.

"Gildarts Clive.” He pronounced, chuckling.

**Introduction**

The chatty Rune Knight -Reynaldo- left us with Master Makarov and so we followed after him. What else were we to do? Head to a church and hope they took us in? Risk getting split up in an orphanage?

“Mami,” I said. “Let’s go.”

We followed the old man along the streets to a building that had the words ‘Fairy Tail’ carved out of wood and painted brightly.

The doors loomed so large and opened easily with a kick.

“We’ve two new members today!” He announced. “This cutie’s name is Mami and Mr Gloomy is Enma. Now where would you like your stamp?”

**Registration**

There was a small card to fill out. Name, age and type of magic.

Enma Kazato.

I put down my age too. I was older than Mami by three years. Eight to five, but with these new memories, I felt far older and just tired. No wonder Guild Master Makarov called me gloomy. I guess I was.

Adel called it listless. Now if only I could remember more than that about her. A sharp voice and utter determination in a fight and so caring that she made all of us that were broken become a family for all that we were related. Blood-ties weren't everything that a family was; a family was support, love and loyalty to each other.

That was it, beyond the sensation of ice.

As for magic… gravity.

Mami left hers blank. Entirely, so I put down her name and age.

I wasn't sure if she knew how to write.

**Gravity**

“Gravity magic huh?” The bartender asked. “You sure about that?”

Lifting one finger up in the air, the bartender rose closer to the ceiling.

And then with Mami’s smiling encouragement I wagged it in a circling loop, the bartender rotating as well near the ceiling.

And then my point proven, I gently brought the man down to the bar.

To a standing ovation.

Curling in on myself, that was just way too much attention.

Guild Master Makarov noticed and decided to bring us up to his office to discuss where we were going to live.

We already knew we were going to have to work.

There was no other way we were going to be able to stay together.

And I wasn't going to lose a second chance with my sister -cousin- once again.

So it was only as obvious as gravity that I wouldn't let anything separate us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Relocation**

"Don't worry children, we're just going to figure out where you all can stay for the moment."

"What are our options?"

"Gildarts is off on a mission and doesn't have the space as he moved into the dorms after he and his wife separated, so he's not an option. We've got dorms that can be rented from the guild, the problem is that one is for boys and one is for girls and it'd take twice as much money."

And money, Enma knew was a finite resource and that they didn't have much of it.

Or really any that he knew of.

And I didn't know how much mage jobs paid for; would it be the choice of paying for food over other expenses? He doubted they would make enough to pay for rent, young as they were.

So it would be an orphanage of some sort, unless there was an apartment that would rent to a pair of children and be willing to accept the guild subsidizing most of our rent and other bills. Expecting kids to be able to afford housing and other costs when we'd be doing the most menial, safest and therefore least paying sort of jobs... that wasn't possible.

Moving was such a hassle when someone knew where they were going. And going to have to buy everything for the place as well if it wasn't already furnished.

Not knowing where we were relocating to made it even worse.

**Reimbursement**

"But thankfully money's not much an issue; the destruction of Zombie Shuffle has been a guild mission for years, S-class even, because of how many people and mages have been tricked and confounded, so money's no concern."

"S-class? Do they pay a lot?" Enma asked, wondering if the classification system was like that of video games he remembered.

"Missions are ranked by how dangerous they are, starting at E-class. D-class is a touch more difficult, followed by C-class, B-class and so on, with S-class as the most dangerous. Of course the more danger, the more it pays. Although sometimes the reward is a magic artifact over just money."

"So we don't have to worry about rent, just finding a place to live."

"Money won't be an issue even after buying a place, I assure you. So how about you ask the barkeep who can be spared to show you around. Once you find a place you like, you'll come back to the guild and I'll sort out the details with the realtor."

"Yes, um, Master Makarov."

**Understated**

S-class mission and pay for taking out a dark mage guild? One known for its skill in illusion and memory magic according to the Rune Knights...

People who lost others to whatever Zombie Shuffle did would have paid what they could afford to end them. The dark guild would have sold off those trying to hunt them down and made enemies everywhere out of their actions, even before then.

So I'd have allies in those that had suffered because of Zombie Shuffle. And quite flush in cash for much the same reason.

People who paid Zombie Shuffle to acquire people to trade, that wanted slaves, even skilled mages... those would be my enemies.

People who didn't respect others never were the type to take being thwarted or told 'no' all that well.

Part of joining a mage guild was for protection from other mages and a way to further your skills.

It was almost like joining a famiglia, except more legal representation.

**Barman**

"Barkeep?"

"Yes, what can I help you with. And I'm Brett. I use Thread Magic."

"Master wants to know who's available to show us around Magnolia." And while a tour would be nice, we needed a roof over our heads more than we needed to know where a particular shop was. We'd reached Magnolia mid-morning so we were burning daylight. "For a place to stay."

"Hmm... Miss Edna's been meaning to move out of the girl's dorms, so she's been looking around. She ought to know." Brett explained. "Edna! The kids are looking for a place to stay!"

**Round  
**

Miss Edna was a well-rounded woman, with a round sort of face and kindly neighbor appeal. Which did not change the fact she was probably round enough that she was practically a ball. Long thin legs, long thin arms but all of her torso was rounded out and her hair fluffed over her shoulders in such a way she was implausibly round. Not oval, but round.

"Hullo dearies. Did Master find a place for you to live?"

Enma shook his head. "He said to see what was available in town first."

"Well, alright then, I'll take you around then."

**Tour**

We did end up getting a tour of Magnolia; there was a cathedral only a few blocks away, several smaller churches, had various stores pointed out to us as 'good for buying fabric from' and 'has the best deals on food at the end of the month' and so on.

I did end up having to tell Miss Edna that we were looking to purchase a home wholesale, as we had enough money for that.

We found a few that we liked but none we were really sold on; a number that were closer to the guild were cheaper for some reason but I wouldn't mind the walk if we were further out.

I liked my privacy too much to risk just any random stranger from the guild coming by 'to check on Mami and I' just because we were children.

**Wetter**

We found one that we liked on the 'wetter' side of Magnolia, where there were more canals than streets. There was a river that ran near and through the city, coming into and out of the lake. Which is why the lake wasn't safe to swim in, as the current could take someone straight out to sea from Lake Sciliora. In theory.

The river came into the lake and out to the sea through canals and through the land itself; the eastern side of the city of Magnolia was of a lower elevation and was extensively bridges, stone streets and canals because of this. Miss Edna said that some wooden ones existed closer to the divide between the wet and dry sides but we didn't see any.

Miss Edna said that the land on the eastern side of the city outside the city wall was pretty much farmland. The 'dryer' side was newer build and more business focused but the sound of waves and water was wanted more than being close to the market district.

**Garden**

As things went, the house we wanted was on the smaller side. A front room that doubled as both sitting and dining room, a section of it devoted to the kitchen, made clear by a change in the flooring, the countertops and cabinetry.

There wasn't much to appliances; magic existing meant that no one really had to focus much on making them sleek and energy efficient. Power bills weren't really a thing when all you needed was a lacrima that could be charged by ambient energy. So the stove looked old and like a fire hazard but it'd probably work. A fridge or freezer was on our shopping list though.

If they existed.

If not, there was bound to be a way to make something similar.

There were three bed rooms, the two smaller ones on the left and the slightly larger one -by dint of having closet space- on the right, which shared a wall with the only bathroom.

What really sold it was that was on an 'island' by itself, so there was only a corner where two bridges branched off, leaving the 'street' in front of the house and on one side as unused space.

It wasn't much but it could be put to use; drying laundry outside, a place to sit outside the house.

"Garden space. Like momma had."

"We can get some bricks for that, make planters, get some dirt and flowers. Fresh herbs."

I hugged Mami and ignored Miss Edna trying to be discreet about tearing up.

We ended up back at the guild in short order, with Master Makarov making a few calls and paying for the house.

At least we wouldn't be sleep in the streets.

The floor was still in question though.

**Purchase**

Master Makarov quickly got the paperwork in short order and then we had a house to go furnish.

Which meant having to get the money from Master Makarov or bring him along.

I chose to bring him along.

It is very hard to fight gravity and well, it meant we didn't have to go get him if what we had on us fell short. Master Makarov had our account information, so we needed him. He seemed to be enjoying floating around in the furniture shop, even if he had said I was pushy for someone so gloomy.

I wasn't going to dither about shopping. Bed frames, mattresses that we could sleep on, a dresser or two to put clothing in, some simple bedding and towels... I'd probably have to make a few trips but I could carry a lot in one. Gravity control made the weight and the amount of helping hands immaterial.

Mami knew what she wanted for her room, which was less typical bright color five year old decorating. I might have nudged her into a few things so it wouldn't be a horror of pink, by saying that 'pink was a little girl color and she was a big girl' so it was avoided without even a hint of waterworks. Ended up with a lot of dark wood and green fabric of different shades, so to keep it bright there was a floor lamp, one to put on the vanity and a long string of lights too. Those would get hung up later, once we had some nails to hang them over.

I also bought my own bed frame, mattress, dresser, lamp and bedding too. It was only a bit difficult to keep it all floating in the direction I wanted it to without crashing a bit of it while going through town. It did make moving things in so much easier though, as assembling a bed frame was a joke to dissembling a gun with only a thought. After that was just moving the frame to where the bed was going to be, putting down the throw rugs, moving the mattresses where they needed to be. I tossed the bedding on either bed, not wanting to mess with the hassle of fitted sheets just yet, as furniture found its home and I made a list of what we hadn't got yet.

"I forgot towels."

"And chairs. And a table." Mami added.

"Glasses and plates."

"Bath soap! Clothes!"

"Cleaning stuff."

"Shoe rack and slippers!"

"Toilet paper."

"Food? I'm hungry, Enma."

"We can get some at the Guild, with Master Makarov."

"Where is the Master-guy?"

A brief bit of horror dawned on me, along with a case of the giggles. "Mami, I think I left him in the furniture shop." We had to bring him up to the counter to pay but I don't remember taking him out of the shop after.

After a certain range he would have fallen down as natural gravity asserted itself but before then, he would have been limited to what he could reach in order to move unless they had some sort of magic that they could use to direct themselves; like wind magic.

"Oh." Mami said before breaking down in giggles herself.

"We can't go eat without him. He has our money." I reminded her, as I'm certain that being a Master of a Mage Guild meant he knew enough magic to not be permanently stuck.

**Pillows**

Actually, I was wrong. Master Makarov was still at the furniture store, seemingly unable to move from where I'd left him.

Or at least unwilling to do so.

We ate at cafe a street away before going back to shopping instead of going back to the guild; a few changes of clothes, towels and toiletries were purchased, with plates and glasses and a change of bedding for each of our beds at different stores, then back to the furniture shop for a table and chairs and two trunks, so to put all the more fragile things wrapped in towels or new clothing, so any rattling in the trunks wouldn't break them.

The table needed to have its legs taken off before it'd fit in the door but that was easy to do and fix as soon as it was through the door. The larger trunk had to be angled a bit to fit but all the contents had made it through the trip without issue and found where they were supposed to be.

I still don't know how I even managed to get wrapped up in fitted sheets while trying to get them on the bed by hand.

I just gave up and went to sleep then and there, with a lingering thought of, 'I forgot pillows...'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izzy has been reading the 100 year quest, spin-off. In this fic Enma is far far more clumsy with his hands than with his magic. I mean if you can dissemble a gun with your mind, you can dis/re-assemble bed frames and tables with your mind.
> 
> Also Izzy calls utter bullshit on the 'kids able to afford the Fairy Dorms while in single digits.' If Jewel is comparative to yen, rent for one apartment is 100,000J a month. Converted loosely to USD, that's $1,000 a month. No wonder Cana stayed at a church for years until she was able to afford her own place. Little kids aren't going to be able to afford it.  
> Edit: added a zero to the Fairy Dorms' monthly rent as Izzy forgot it. Now is fixed to price given in FT canon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wake**

I woke up because I was uncomfortable; while people could and did sleep on floors, they at least had more than a few thin bedsheets between them.

People have hated sleeping on the ground from the instant they realized they didn't have to. It's why flooring exists, why sleeping rolls and beds exist, even if the bed was just a futon instead of a western style mattress.

It wasn't uncomfortable enough to actually get up though.

There was no pressing need to even get up. A more pressing reason to not get up.

I didn't want to.

**Sensation**

I was familiar with this sort of sensation though; it had plagued me in my former life and followed me into this one.

Depression was an old familiar enemy, one that I knew intimately and clinically. Understand it to beat it and all that?

Understanding wasn't a miracle cure to fixing depression but it helped. Between the prejudice against mental illness and my criminal ties it wasn't like I could get to see a psychologist that I'd actually trust. Understanding how things worked and why it was like that cleared up a lot of mental confusion and...

It still wasn't motivation to get out of bed and face the day and the guilt.

I'd killed the people who had raised me, the only family I'd ever known in this world... and I didn't even know their names or anything about them. A few scant facts, nothing more.

Uncle was Eastern, had married my aunt; he was a refugee, she was taking care of her sister's child. My aunt's laugh. The old lady next door would watch us sometimes. The man across the street had a cat.

I remembered more about that cat than I do my family in this life. The cat's name was Sunny, an ever friendly cat with stripes who loved water but not getting held. I'd gotten scratched a few times because I had picked the cat up anyway.

I couldn't come up with the names of anyone or anything except that cat's.

**Name**

Was my name in this world even Enma? I'd written down my old name without a thought, in the romanji alphabet instead of kanji. Everything I'd seen was written in romanji, so I had done so as well.

Mami would know, and that's the thought that brought me sitting upright with no conscious thought.

Mami was on the bed, wrapped in a neater pile of blankets than my cocoon of sheets and I shook her awake.

"Mami, Mami."

"Mrrh? Dun wanna get up."

"Mami please, is my name really Enma?"

"Nii-san is nii-san," she replied sleepily. "Did Enma-nii have a bad dream?"

"Yes," I said before I could stop myself. "I dreamt I had forgotten more. I didn't want to but I had and..."

I cried.

**Practicalities**

There were only so many tears a guy could cry and care about being manly; I'd grown past that sentiment in my old life.

But there were only so many tears a person could cry at once and then it felt like the smothering feeling of depression was back to flood me with apathy but worse and I was feeling like I'd had pieces of me cut out.

Which I had. Because somehow a mage had flummoxed a spell bad enough that they had invoked past memories. I was guessing that; there could have been a spell to do just that, at the cost of a person's current memories. I didn't know enough about magic to say so. I'm not even sure I got all of my previous life's memories; it doesn't feel like it. I don't know how I died.

I'd figure more things out as a mage guild had to have books on magic, but first the practical parts of living; putting one foot in front of the other and walking your path no matter how hard it was.

That I wasn't sure if I could do so, not without Adel, Julie and the rest.

But I had to. For Mami.

**Momentum**

Adel had once said that her strength -her ability to turn the surviving and traumatized orphans of the Simon into a true family- was a matter of momentum and it was only now that I think I understand what she meant.

It wasn't in regards to her strength in battle, physically with fans and body or with her Flames.

Her personal strength was that she wouldn't stop. She couldn't unless she wanted to lose more.

The first step wasn't easy, the next might even be harder but I somehow had a second chance and I couldn't spend all day in bed, no matter how much I wanted to.

I had a responsibility that I couldn't ignore, that needed me more than I needed to atone for whatever sins I committed in this life and in my past one.

After all, being born in the mafia and being a mafia don later didn't make for a blissful sin-free living.

**Wash**

Washing myself off in the shower, I looked over the guild stamp again on my arm. It was a rusty-red color, muted compared to my brighter red hair which was long enough to start hanging into my eyes, in addition to being shaggy.

Mami had at least remembered to get a hairbrush, so it could be brushed but I wasn't going to get it cut short to make it easier to manage. For one, I didn't have scissors and for two, Julie was the Simon Famiglia's hairdresser. I knew I was hopeless at most domestic things, but practice makes perfect and I had plenty of reasons to practice. I could at least cook rice and other simple fare so we wouldn't starve if we had the ingredients.

For having been reborn, I looked pretty similar to my old life. It was odd seeing clan-red eyes in a body without a drop of Simon blood. Even more odd to see Compass Pupils looking back at me. The red hair I was doomed to; my mother and aunt both had red hair and Master Makarov comment made it seem like my father did too. The face was different but my face was eight; still kinda pudgy and I looked like I needed more sleep.

This was a different world after all but I at least had the comfort of looking like me.

**Brunch**

Getting Mami awake, washed and dressed took longer than I thought and the walk to the guild even longer; Magnolia was not a tiny village. I'd have to walk it one day to see how long it took to get from one point to another. The guild to the station, from one side of the town to another, to certain shops.

We arrived in time to catch the last of the breakfast orders, with the mages that had clearly been drinking and were somewhat hungover.  
The place wasn't rowdy yet but it was busier than I thought it'd be.

After breakfast, then it was time to maybe seeing about a job. Or school.

Maybe school for Mami; I wasn't that fond of school. I had bad memories of being in school.

**Decision**

There were a number of jobs listed with various rewards. Subdue a monster looked above my level, hunt for mushrooms, fill-in as a teaching assistant, farm work...

It looked like jobs went into three basic categories; part-time work, fetch-quests and something that would involve combat with something or someone. Probably more like two; if it's not something a normal person could get, there'd be competition for it and the other side might hire mages as well.

Not really a lot for a kid to do considering that.

I levitated myself up to get a better look at the farm work one; help repair a barn and fetch the animals that had escaped.

It actually looked possible for us, unlike the other jobs. Another member of the guild told us to get it registered by the barman, so we did.

So we took it and headed towards our home and then on past it; Miss Edna had exaggerated somewhat. The Eastern side of Magnolia past the walls was not all farmland; the northern part of it wasn't as it was forest but closer to the lake it was. The East Forest was something of a misnomer because it looked like part of it had been cut down to make space for the farms.

It didn't take long to reach the farm in question.

What the farmer wanted was someone to help him install new doors on his barn and that was easily done; weight wasn't an issue for me and the barn doors were otherwise quite heavy. Thankfully it wasn't something like roofing; I had no idea how to do that. Materials and people up there, yes; how to lay the shingles down, no.

After that it was finding the three goats, two sheep, four cows and the two horses and getting them in the barn.

**Lick**

The animals liked Mami better. It was almost like they could tell that I was the one that picked them up and returned them to the barn they were supposed to be in; they hadn't left the farm thankfully but they hadn't gone to the pasture either, so they were everywhere they shouldn't be. The horse wasn't bothered with being lifted by magic but every other animal was; I still have no idea how the horse I brought back to the barn got on top of the chicken coop but he was easy. Not as easy as the horse Mami led back in with the farmer's help but still easy.

The cows just didn't want to move and instead of putting them back in the barn the farmer just had me move them into the pasture they were supposed to be in. Same for the sheep and the two nanny goats.

The male goat -reclaimed from a half eaten cabbage patch- really didn't like me but he apparently liked no one, as he tried to ram first me, then Mami and actually did ram the farmer after escaping the barn again. Catching it again in gravity was easy; getting it tied up properly less so. I had never seen a goat that had to be chained up before but I could understand why it was.

The farmer then paid us 12,000J, which wouldn't go far but it was a start.

So our first job as mages was complete, even if Mami ended up getting covered in horse and dog slobber; the animals liked her.

We had spending money that we didn't have to go to Master Makarov to get, so we had money for food that wasn't on my reward money from destroying Zombie Shuffle. It felt so awkward to have to ask for it; I'd have to ask to see how much was left and so on but for now this was money earned cleanly.

Now it was time to learn some more about magic, the world and history.

Just because I didn't like school and was bad at everything vaguely domestic at fourteen or so didn't mean I stayed that way for the rest of my life. I did learn to cook after all; my grades weren't in the same absolute fail range as a friend I once had. Not all of them anyway; having your work taken and torn up by classmates really didn't motivate a person to do the work again, for the second or third time. Especially when depressed, without considering the other issues.

I did enjoy learning and could generally pass most written tests in class. I just had trouble turning in homework when bullies would steal it or ruin my books. Adel ended up working out a deal with the Disciplinary Committee, I remembered; I did what I could in detention after class and they'd keep it safe so I could turn it into the teachers. They also punished the bullies, as they were well and truly 'bitten to death' by the chairman of the DC. I could remember the facts there just fine, but faces escaped me.

I wouldn't let that happen again to me, much less to Mami.

We'd see what we could learn on our own before we bothered with school.

**Library**

The guild had a small library for general purposes and as an area to keep the records of the bar's purchases and so on; copies of records also were stored in a separate room in the basement library in case of a magical mishap destroying those in a brawl or something. Other underground hidden goodies were the bar's excess storage, general storage, a few showers and a small bunk room. But it was the library I was most interested in and Mami followed me in as I looked for and found what I wanted first.

A world map.

Books on magical theory.

Books on history.

And the realization that I'd have to teach Mami to read and write. Probably.

Best to start explaining things to her gently. "This is a map of the world and it shows all the continents and oceans..."

And it wasn't familiar to me in the least.


	4. Chapter 4

**Map**

Looking at the map of the world, all I saw was continental drift.

Well, I also saw that it was an entirely different world but if the world map was in anyway accurate, I could see how the continents used to fit together, how they'd drifted apart and so on.

I knew we lived in the kingdom of Fiore and as I was lucky enough to catch sight of it on the peninsula of one of the three continents on the eastern half of the map.

"This is the kingdom of Fiore, where we live Mami. It's on the continent of, Izhgar, no, Ishgar. Below that is the Lucanu continent." I explained, pointing to the landmass below Ishgar. I was also hoping I had the pronunciation right.

The top edge of Lucanu practically matched the bottom of Ishgar, showing that the two continents had once been one. And that the island nation of Caelem and the islands of Minstrel had also once been one landmass years and years ago. And not all of Ishgar was a solid plate either; the country of Joya was ringed with mountains. That wouldn't happen without Joya being on its own plate.

Having once been the same continent did explain why both continents looked so narrow compared to others on the map.

**Eastern**

"Somewhere over here," I pointed to a country on the far end of Ishgar, "is where Uncle was from."

Because there was nothing like running from a war like getting to the other side of the continent. Hopefully by ship, because the mountains on the map looked to be an entire chain practically cutting that part of the continent off. Isvan was a name plastered on a large island above that mountain range, barely closer to Ishgar than the northernmost continent Giltena. Was it big enough to count as another continent? Or was it still part of Ishgar?

"Do you know where from, Enma-nii?"

"No. I don't remember. I remember that the names Yi and Lin had something to do with why a war had broke out, but I don't know the specifics."

And I hadn't been aware of that knowledge until I said it. I immediately knew that was a bad thing. How much of this world was I really aware of?

"Why a war?"

"Maybe they were bad at ruling and people didn't like that so they got in a great big fight that lasted years."

"Oh. So what else is there?"

**Names**

"This continent here is Silgreaves," I pointed to the southernmost continent on the Eastern side of the map. It sort of reminded me of India in shape and the fact that its continental plate moved so much. The exception being that while India was a solid peninsula, Silgreaves's bottom half was populated by islands, large and small.

Which because Silglash's tectonic plate was so active, I knew those would be volcanic. Probably.

"The one in the center here in the north is Giltena." Which looked like it had drifted north from once having been the land bridge between Ishgar and another continent, this one being Alakitasia. The western continent loomed large and solid in a way that Ishgar and Lucanu didn't.

"Alakitasia," I pointed this one out. Beyond being difficult to pronounce, it looked to be equal in size if both Ishgar and Lucanu combined. "Then, Tchnotica is below that."

**Dream**

"The world is big Enma-nii."

"It is." I agreed.

"I want to see it all!"

"I do too," I said, realizing that I did. "But first we'll need the money for it and we need to know more magic to protect ourselves with."

"But Enma-nii's strong!"

"I suppose so, Mami but strength isn't everything. What if someone really clever had made a trap?"

"That'd be bad. But surely Enma-nii wouldn't get caught by some bad guy!"

"That's why I said that they'd be clever. If I didn't know they were a bad guy then I wouldn't know that they might have made a trap. Then I'd be trapped."

"Oh. That sounds bad. And complicated."

"Yeah, that's why knowing magic is important. It means you can break the traps Mami, and if you do it right you can get them in it instead." I thought that would be true anyway.

It was time to break out the basics and see if the knowledge in my head was right.

Because who knew what could go wrong if the information was wrong?

There wasn't a need to invite failure by something so easily preventable.

**Basics**

According to a book, a mage basically differed from a normal person unable to do magic in two different ways.

First, they absorbed the magic available in the air.

Second, they stored that magic in their bodies, building a reserve of power that could expand with training. The book didn't say how much but I imagine it could be pressed rather far.

The book got a little complicated there but after that it was just a matter of learning how to direct said magical reserves to do the thing you wanted to do.

That was, to do magic.

Which was essentially a matter of willpower applied in a focused manner using this stored energy; how it was focused differed based on the person and how complicated the magic was, which is why some people used magic items. Compared to drawing out a giant spell equation or spending hours to memorize formulas, putting it into an item allowed for faster and repeated casting; the trade-off would be somewhere for it, but I wasn't sure where and how it would apply for each type of holder magic.

Then depending on the type of magic used, the body adapted over time to both having and using it. Especially if someone focused on just one type of magic, essentially becoming specialized.

Not that they couldn't learn other types of magic, but it'd be like learning to race in a boat after going pro racing dirtbikes. Both used fuel but ingrained habits would make learning different magic harder, depending on how different it was. Habits learned for using fire magic would make learning ice magic difficult.

The nice thing was that it was a lot harder to kill yourself with magic than with Flames. At least with most magic; some magic had more noticeable drawbacks, taboos and were just dangerous period. A lot of which were understandably outlawed or 'lost' to the ages, because the practitioners of such were 'extinct.' Not the theoretical knowledge, so people could in theory teach themselves 'lost magic' depending on how well documented the magic was.

If a mage ran out of magic, they were just exhausted; if you ran out of Flames then you were mostly dead. Flames were an external manifestation of energy that your body produced and running out -truly out- meant dying. Most people passed out well before then.

It was only an actual issue if you did so while in some form of Dying Will Mode. Forgetting physical limits sounded nice until you've broken your arm, spent enough energy to have run a marathon and were still trying to fight despite not having the energy to. Forgetting mental limits additionally meant more added stress to the body; there went morality, the concepts of justice and even being able to register pain.

People forgot that Dying Will Mode was a double-edged sword.

And I don't think that that was what had killed me; I knew that it had killed someone I had known though.

A friend of a friend? Maybe?

I had no clue.

**Socialize**

I probably should have chosen a less complicated book for Mami to learn to read from but at least this way I knew she knew what the most basic of basic things about being a mage and using magic. And she already knew the smaller words so it wasn't impossible. It was just going slowly.

That was when Master Makarov came by, with boy that was taller than he was; not that it was that hard. He looked to be my age and blond, with hair cut short.

"This is my grandson, Laxus. I hope you treat him well." With a small clasp on his shoulder and a further push from behind, the blond was busy spinning arms to keep his balance while the guild master ran off like a school boy playing a prank.

I felt that this was somewhere between permission to 'go play, make friends' and 'babysit my grandson for me,' and I was not impressed.

I also felt that creeping anxiety that I knew from experience would make it next to impossible to speak, but did I even want to know this person as a friend?

Which was a depression thought and so through the power of spite, I got up and introduced myself. "Hello, I'm Enma. That's Mami. We just joined yesterday."

"And you joined a mage guild without knowing magic?" Laxus asked, disproving gaze unnervingly intense for a kid.

"I know magic," I replied. "I'm just teaching Mami how to read."

"And what if she can't do magic? Do you even know if she can?"

"I don't know," I admitted candidly. "But it shouldn't be too hard to find out. Wanna go outside and see?"

"Why outside?"

"Uncontrolled magic is dangerous and could probably set the library on fire." I explained.

"Oh." Laxus made a sound of understanding. "That'd be bad for your second day. Even with Fairy Tail's reputation. So follow me."

Reputation? What sort of reputation did this mage guild have to make the Rune Knights so wary? To make a kid this skeptical of everyone?

"Let's go, Enma-nii." Mami's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah."

**Attempts**

Laxus led us through the guild and out the back to a clear area behind the guild that had cobblestones and bricks paving from the back of the guild all the way to the lake; there wasn't a noticeable shore line. Just a drop off into the water.

But we had plenty of room.

So we stood around awkwardly until I realized I was supposed to be teaching.

"So um, for the most basic elemental magic spells, that's just generating a particular element from your magic. All you have to do is push the magic to your hands and transform it into something. Like a ball of light or fire. Or water." Something easy to visualize.

Something simple enough a child could do it.

Laxus easily produced a ball of light that crackled and hummed. That was Lightning Magic?

And why did I think it should be green?

Mami was looking at her hands and pouting, with a determined expression on her face.

Slowly, a ball formed, looking to be made of dust.

Then it collapsed in on itself and became a clod of dirt.

"So why earth?" I asked.

"Laxus didn't do light, or fire or water. So I didn't either. And I didn't know how to do wind, but I knew what dirt was like from helping mom garden, so I did that instead!"

"Huh." I went and did the same sort of magical exercise, picturing Terra Flames in my hand; the color of them, being the darker rust color that was still unmistakably red. They weren't burning hot, as there was no reason to expend that sort of energy.

They weren't Flames though; this wasn't taking the sort of resolve that Flames did. Just concentration. Not quite the sort of abstract thinking concentration for math and the like, but focused intent. I let my concentration lapse and the fire disappeared, as if gutted.

So was magic that much easier? Or was it just my memories that made it seem so easy?

**Lightning**

"So... Laxus, why Lightning Magic?"

He looked a bit paler now, but he still held the Lightning in his hand. "Family tradition. Gramps' father was one of the founders of this guild and he used Lightning Magic. He taught Gramps a lot of it before he died when Gramps was young. And my father knows it too; so does mom. They don't all use it often, but they all know it."

"Huh." I thought that over a bit. "Fire Magic isn't what I'm very good at, but it's useful if you're out camping or something. Camp fires, clearing out brush and insects. Water is needed for washing and drinking, but being able to manipulate it means you could dry off faster, so I'm going to look into it sometime soon and practice it."

"Earth Magic so you don't sleep on rocks?" Mami asked, looking at Laxus' handful of Lightning Magic.

"I guess that can go on the list too. Spells for camping would be useful."

"You think if you learn those that Gramps will let you out for missions out of town?" Laxus scowled. "All I've been doing this year is errands and chores in town and not all of those were even proper jobs."

I considered that in my head; some of that could be the result of some over-protectiveness on the behalf of some relative or out of genuine consideration in not wanting to send an ignorant kid out into the world.

Guilds like Zombie Shuffle existed; a guild that specialized in making slaves out of people. With them out of the picture, Zombie Shuffle's buyers would turn to others willing to sell. Those people would use cruder methods, no doubt, not having the magical ability or connections that the dark guild would have had in place to keep slaves docile and obedient, much less the skill to transport them all without incidents or restraints.

Not to mention, someone could try and ransom a kid they knew as important to a Master of an official magic guild and it was looking more like the adults were trying to shield him from that.

"Probably not." I agreed; keeping the younger members in town would be safer, as a smaller city like Magnolia was unlikely to be targeted by raiding parties compared to smaller villages. "I think there's been a rise of raids by dark guilds and criminals, kidnapping people and selling them off. It's probably going to get worse before it gets better too."

"And why, couldn't they just say that?" Laxus asked, pitching his ball of Lightning Magic over the lake. It fizzled out after about twenty meters; Laxus was breathing a little hard after that.

"Adults are strange." I said, renewing my ball of fire and pitching it over the lake as well. My throw was weak, but it at least it reached the water. "I think they're scared and don't want to show it, so they lie to us so we don't know, they lie to themselves so they feel secure and all it does is leave us vulnerable. A danger known is a danger avoided."

"Enma-nii?" Mami pulled on my wrist.

I turned to face her. "Yeah, Mami?"

"You throw worse than I do."

And as if to prove it, she went and made her dirt clod again and pitched it out on the lake, where it skipped four times.

"She's right." Laxus said smugly, generating another ball of Lightning Magic. "You need practice."

And to further make me feel incompetent, the blond shaped the Lightning Magic into a spear and threw it.

Laxus might have broken a sweat in doing so but the spear went further out than the ball he'd tossed earlier.

Maybe I wasn't as good at the magic thing as I thought I might have been?

**Throwing**

We spent about an hour or so practicing magic in that way; generating an element and tossing it out over the lake. We talked about how to shape the magic, how it felt and how much.

It wasn't a constant successful practice though; even with help from Laxus, I wasn't able to do more than a spark of Lightning Magic, and Mami had less success than I at that.

Having done that last probably didn't help, as we were all tired by then. The basic elements were pretty easy, even Earth Magic; water, wind and fire were also easy enough to generate from magic. It was tricky enough to keep what we made coherent and stable enough to throw, much less shape it into something more defined, like a spear.

Using them in spells, much less in any sort of combat would a lot more complicated and trickier.

Taking a few seconds to make each element was far too long anyway; you'd want it to be instant in a fight, so that it would be instinctive and reflexive to use.

So we'd have a lot of work cut out for us, at least in regards to even managing basic camping spells.

I think I had heard somewhere in my old life that a mage was only worth what they were prepared for or that the measure of a mage could be done by how prepared they were. Something from some book? It really didn't matter.

I had no intention of being unprepared.

I had gotten lucky once, with Mami; I wasn't going to rely on something like luck though.

**Respite**

"I'm probably not going to be in the guild tomorrow." Laxus said some minutes after Mami laid down on the bricks, saying she was tired.

"Why?" I asked. He looked a little pale and tired but otherwise healthy. "Are you staying home?"

"I've got a weak constitution, at least that's what my father says. Using magic stresses the body. Not a lot but it adds up. It makes mom worry to have me using magic but if I don't, I absorb too much and it'll make me sick."

So it was like that?

"Was today a good day then?"

"Yeah, it was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's something of a world map in chapter 14 of the manga; it's splashed on a book in Levy's hands and partially covered by her fingers. It's on the title page, "Titania."  
> But look at the map and its all the continental drift is real obvious. Also equally obvious is the fact that only three of the continents are actually named. Which if you remember Grey's backstory of being from 'the northern continent' and Ur saying 'strong mages in the western continents' means that Grey is not from Giltena, as Giltena is to the east of Fiore. So Isvan is kinda on the other side of the world from Giltena.
> 
> According to Ultear's history, kids born with too much magic get sick physically; Laxus having been born to a mage guild, they knew what the problem was rather easily and more importantly how to fix it. Except it's not the best fix in the world to stress a body that's already been overburdened with extra magic by having the kid use magic. Laxus is getting better as he grows up naturally but it's a balancing act that's tricky. One of the reasons Laxus is hard to write is because he remembers all too well what living with a chronic condition throughout childhood is.


	5. Chapter 5

**People-watching**

The three of us eventually took to our feet and all but wobbled; magical exhaustion? It wasn't physical or mental, but an awareness of emptiness? With some mental tiredness. Like trying to walk on numb limbs but less tingly.

But we shuffled into the guild hall through the back and pretty much threw ourselves on the nearest table. It was thankfully empty, being so far away from the bar and the front doors. Which was good, as it seemed like the mages in the building were getting rowdy and drunk for all that some were eating and doing other things.

Was that big guy painting?

Yes, yes he was.

"Who's the painter?"

"That's Reedus; he's a Pict Mage. He can turn whatever he paints into solid objects for a while. So long as he paints it on his body."

"Sounds neat." Mami added. "Although what happens when he doesn't have paint? Can he use a marker? A pen?"

"My dad says he's weak."

"For fighting, I could see." Enma said diplomatically. "Unless he makes himself a weapon? It'd still take time though..."

"So who's the guy smoking?" Mami asked.

"That's Wakaba. He uses Smoke Magic and he's alright I guess; he's stronger than a lot of those here. My dad says he doesn't really apply himself to his magic and he tends to hang around here more than he works so I think he has a point."

**Euphemism**

"And the guy next to him?" I ask.

"Macao. He's got some tricks with his Fire Magic that are a bit unusual but he knows what he's doing. Not the most dedicated though. My mom says he's going to find a girl giving him a present nine months later if he keeps sleeping with them."

That was a very blunt adult statement.

It also seemed to be pretty true; he seemed to be sweet-talking one of the servers who was not objecting to it.

Wakaba gave him a big thumbs-up sign as Macao left.

**Married**

"What's that mean Enma-nii?" Mami asks, reminding me that she's about two years younger than me. I don't know the exact details. But I might be eight? Might be younger though. Mami looked about five or six? How to answer?

"I think that's one of those questions adults get silly over. It's about having a baby, I think? But they also say that you should be grown-up and married before a baby, so maybe?"

"They don't have to be married; mine aren't." Laxus added. "They don't even live together."

I didn't have much to say to that.

**Skedaddle**

The three of us eventually got a meal from the guild's bar, complete with something kid-safe to drink; the legal drinking age of fifteen was still years away for all of us. We talked some more at the table we'd claimed away from the rest of the mages getting progressively drunk and sloppy.

Laxus' dad sounded like a dedicated and perfectionist asshole; the 'can't see the forest for the trees' sort of deal. Having not met him, I could only judge him by the opinions and attitudes he'd passed on.

Laxus' mom came by to pick her son up. My first impression was 'oh, god the animal print!' and the second was that Laxus took a lot after her in looks.

But Mami and I learned that Laxus would be staying home tomorrow so it was probably time for use to 'skedaddle back to where we belong' as she said.

So we went and walked back home, got a bath together and went to sleep.

Tomorrow, I'd have to see about books and school.

**School**

Asking Makarov about more formal education revealed that there wasn't anything run by the public or the state; education beyond the very basics of reading and writing was pretty much something someone had to pursue on their own time with their own money or through the church. Oh and getting the basics of reading and writing could be haphazard, so the guild would band together and teach those truly illiterate.

So Mami and I would need more money for books and all. I knew that I wanted some history ones... so it was time for a job.

**Errands**

Running errands is a job I never wanted to do in an unfamiliar city; sure we had a short tour but that didn't touch on certain shops we needed to get to for picking up orders. And like always, people were terrible at giving directions.

Getting a map of the city from the newsstand by the now open train station -the track thieves had been captured- only had me further confused. Why were the older maps different.

Learning that in this life, his father was absent minded enough to demolish entire city blocks without noticing... shouldn't there be a limit to just how oblivious a person could be? It was a depressing realization.

Our client at least fed us lunch.

**Habit**

Mine and Mami's days settled into an easy pattern; come to the guild, do a simple job, spend the rest of the day studying or practicing magic until it was time to eat and then go home. Laxus joined us sometimes, especially if Master Makarov was supposed to be watching him. We tended to practice more magic with Laxus than read up on magical theory or other things but...

It took a lot of patience to teach kids anything and here I was trying to teach myself, come up with a lesson plan and teach Mami too. The guild only had a small section of books for kids, so again we'd have to buy them ourselves or have a book shop order a book if they didn't have it. The guild library was extensive but those were not exactly easy to read books.

So it became a habit of every few days going to a bookstore and seeing if we needed a book. Or stationary for notes or writing practice.

Enma caved and bought a bookshelf.

**References**

History was interesting. In what was and wasn't covered, how much and how far it went back.

Go back a hundred years ago, Fiore as a kingdom was much smaller and not as well established. Part of that was due to the Trade Wars and other events that unified Fiore into its current form about the time the guild was founded.

Go back two hundred years ago, Fiore as a kingdom barely existed, in the form of a territory. Some poor exiled prince married into the Fiore family, raising them to royalty and then conquered his neighbors. Mostly through diplomacy, but some violence and terror.

Go back three hundred years ago, Fiore barely existed as a stable territory. Mostly you had various tribes and warring city-states. Crocus was founded as a city by the Fiore people. Who even back then had a thing for flowers. Which is why it was part of every deal after to change the name to something floral.

Go back four hundred years ago, you had dragons everywhere, waging a war between themselves and making it next to impossible to get any in-depth details beyond it. At least in the area known now as Fiore; it seemed to be the battleground for a lot of it. The country of Caelum too and all the way out to the Pergrande Kingdom.

Dragons weren't just fire-breathing reptiles here; no, they were elemental in all stripes and all could fly.

It made it hard for records to survive a dragon raid.

But some did.

**Colonialism**

Most established countries were less than four centuries old, if that. It was apparently the sort of thing that happened when dragons fought themselves mostly extinct over human population centers. Even casualties and government was bound to die out, through statistics and lack of subjects if nothing else.

Except there was evidence elsewhere that said not all of them did and those were further east, past the mountains that divided the Pergrande Kingdom from the Empire of Wa.

At one point before the dragon war, the Empire of Wa had managed to spread far and wide. Like all over Ishgar and Lucanu and part of Isvan and traded all over the world. Which explained all the distinctly eastern traditions that popped up everywhere in a kingdom that looked very much not. And why the calendar was called the Xing calendar; for that was the dynasty that did a lot of conquering and trading before it was taken over by another dynasty.

The Empire of Wa had managed to set up colonies on Alakitasia and with all the trading had established itself as a world power; enough that most people spoke the language as a second language if it wasn't their first. Which did in fact make reading so much harder to learn for most as the written language of Wa had never quite settled in the way the spoken one had.

Which still didn't stop the fact that Alakitasia had never quite forgotten that Wa had colonized part of it and so its various nations liked to make war against the continent it was on, without caring that the Empire of Wa had collapsed into three kingdoms that were at constantly at odds. Or that its former territories really didn't want much to do with the mess it had dissolved into.

So really, every couple decades since Wa lost its territory on Alakitasia, the nations and people in Alakitasia liked to invade, raid and then run away. Or be fought back.

Colonialism at its finest. Oppression optional. Slavery, very probable.

**Cultism**

The other big world changing history events were the establishment of magical guilds around a hundred fifty years ago, the establishment of the Magic Council as a organization of the monarchy within the past century, how the Magic Council separated from the monarchy and went international and so on within living memory.

Oh and there was Zeref who between creating loads of demons to terrorize the world for the next few centuries -after the dragons had more or less disappeared. The same Zeref inspired cult after cult to act in his name. On top of creating a lot of magic that was forbidden afterwards because while necromancy in the form of seith mages was allowed if frowned upon by polite society because while soul magic, it wasn't bringing the dead back to life as a perversion of natural order and creating 'life' would be terrible because you'd step into the Gods' territory. Because Gods existed and would smite you down for it.

Enma was not amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> October was busy and November sucked; end of story. I had planned on getting to Gildarts this chapter but history happened, because the 100-year Quest Spin-off has Natsu and co. speaking just fine to those on a different continent. When we know different languages are a thing; the mood-drip ritual, Freed's runes etc. But the main language spoken? Seems to be the same, world over for the past few centuries. Ghost-dude that made Nirvana had no trouble speaking with Wendy or Natsu and co.
> 
> Also it makes more sense for the Niverit and Nirvana to have happened after the Dragon War for the most part; we have dates for them, not for the dragons when it comes to that century. Or more fun; it happened concurrently for the most part. Because creating Nirvana in 384 would mean wars happening even when Acnologia officially ends the Dragon War by himself in 391. After it had gone on for who knows how long.  
> Also the X-calendar notation is from the non-canonical country of Wa. Mostly it got adopted and then transformed so it no longer pertains to the dynasty year.


	6. Chapter 6

**Distraction  
**

Getting set up in Magnolia from housing to finding paying work and things about the world I was now in was a distraction. A distraction from all the emotional things I was not thinking about.

Depression crept up on you. I knew that. A distraction doesn't change this.

Checking the level of energy I had after waking was habit. Physically, sleepy so check again after breakfast. Moving was something would help shake that feeling of heaviness in his limbs, as would food even if I wasn't that hungry. Mentally, tired and also stressed. Spiritually? I knew I needed a break and to decompress.

So I was going to take a rest today and not go out.

**Awake**

I had been 'awake' as myself, as Enma in this world of magic for about a month.

I still didn't feel settled as myself either for all I looked like I did the previous life that I can only half-remember. Even now. Do I really want all the answers? Do I?

What I can remember was bad enough.

But I did, and so I rolled out of bed to make breakfast for myself and Mami. Or that was the idea. I at least got up and was sitting on the bedside.

Mami. I remembered her.

Maybe I should have revised that whole rest idea; Mami was still five or so, no matter how well-behaved she was. Right? I didn't know her birthday or age. Terrible of me. I was awful. The worst brother ever. I felt that like a physical blow to my psyche and breathed through it.

Yes, it was terrible. It was fixable. I could ask. Realizing that no, I didn't know her exact birthday and could not remember what it was -in this world- was not going to make her hate me. I could explain how Zombie Shuffle had messed with my memories. Simplify things to make them easier to process was helpful. I could learn. I could get better at being a brother, instead of just the murderer of her parents.

And I should probably write it all down.

In kanji. For privacy's sake.

**Names**

"Enma-nii, you seem tired today." Mami mentioned as she pushed some of her breakfast around in the bowl. She had eaten the fruit and some of the oatmeal so I wasn't that concerned she'd be hungry later.

"I am." I admitted and let the rest fall out in a rush. "Ever since what happened with our village. I think one of the bad guys hit me with a memory spell and so I don't remember much about what I knew before. I don't remember the names of our neighbors, but I know one had a cat. I don't remember learning how to read or write but I know how to. So I've been reading lots of books to see if anything is stuff I already know or is familiar."

And not a lot was.

"So you don't remember Aunt Mari?"

"Who's Mari?"

"That's Enma-nii's Mama, like Mina is Mami's Mama. Although only Papa called her that. Mr. Gus who had the fluffy kitty called her Minnie when she gave him cookies for teaching us."

"I remember the cat. His name was Sunny?"

"Yup. His name should have been Stripes because he had stripes."

"I think I should write this down," I said as I finished my meal. "That way both of us can practice our writing."

And I could extract more information, see if it could cause me to remember both this life and my past one any better.

I should probably feel bad, since I would have pressed a child for information.

But there was a little voice in my head that went, _mafia_ , and the knowledge that asking a few questions was not the same as torture. But as an older brother figure, there wasn't a reason that I couldn't ask gently.

**Diary**

"If it's written down I don't have to worry about forgetting again. The book can remember for me." I said to myself after we had cleaned up from breakfast and gotten a notebook and pens for each of us.

And now if I could just figure out how to start this? Moving a pen shouldn't be this hard. And it wasn't. It was deciding the words, what order to put them in...

"I don't know how to start this." Which was true. Maybe I once knew how to do so but...

"With your name Enma-nii! And if it's a diary you should have the date and location, like that one history book we read."

"Yeah," I agree. "That makes sense."

It would at least give me a starting point, even if I ended up crossing out lines and inking over kanji.

**Catharsis**

Writing things down was a tried and true therapy tool. Because brains got stuck going over events, tripping over the same emotions and images that writing things down means putting distance to it. It was to relive and process things while putting distance between what happened then and what happened now. Or at least that was the theory that I remembered.

So I wrote in careful kanji, 'to whom it may concern, this belongs to Kozato Enma.' Under that I wrote in the local language, 'Property of Enma Kozato,' carefully writing my letters out. From what I knew now, most people weren't very literate and of those that were, not many would know how to write kanji. So it'd be safe. The contents anyway.

And then I flipped the page, made a notation of the date and starting writing down facts as I knew them. Starting from the first memories I had in this world and what little I could remember myself. How I had killed everyone except myself and Mami from our village because I couldn't remember how to control my magic for a while; that was true enough for all it was Flames, not magic. How Reynaldo the Rune Knight escorted us over to Magnolia, joining Fairy Tail and meeting the rest of the guild. Buying the house, shopping for supplies, meeting Laxus, doing jobs and researching what I could of the world around me. To see what was familiar to me and what wasn't.

Turned out I knew more than I thought.

I filled in what Mami had told me today; the name of my mother, the name of my aunt and uncle, the names of neighbors and Sunny the stripped kitty. I also learned that Mami was six and when her birthday was and that she didn't hate me for forgetting it.

It seemed silly to cry now, over things that had happened a month ago now but I did. As did Mami.

We did after all lose the only parental figures we had, all our neighbors. Everything but each other really.

We didn't really do much else that day. Too drained to do much of anything after lunch. Mami went down for a nap but I didn't. Instead I wrote more.

I wrote more about my past life as I could remember it. Adel, Julie, Koyo, Kaoru, Shittopi, Rauji. My parents. Daemon Spade. How he tricked us into attacking a friend. A friend I couldn't remember, but a friend who was a lot like me.

It felt good to have it all down and in writing, instead of just floating around in my head. It felt like I was finally settling down in my own skin.

Putting the book away in my room, I rolled onto my bed and was out like a light.

**Arrival**

"Hey you two. Missed you guys yesterday." Brett the bar man said as he prepared for the mid-morning rush. Mostly by cleaning up the plates left by those who actually early enough for breakfast instead of brunch. The guild hall opened early, but most of the breakfast rush was just the people of Magnolia; fishermen and people who lived nearby. Brunch was when most of the mages started coming in, a number nursing hangovers from the day before.

"We were taking a break yesterday." Enma explained. He still wasn't as solid as he'd like, but they could either get a job or hole up in the guild library to avoid people. If he needed to.

"And laundry. And cleaning. Mostly laundry." Mami added. Because we had done laundry. My nap hadn't lasted nearly long enough so we did chores.

"Laundry is a chore that never ends." Brett said, finger combing some of his dark hair back in place from where it had fallen down as he wiped down a table. "But Gildarts is supposed to be back today so it's going to be busy once he gets here if he's on time. I think Ivan's supposed to be back sometime this week too, but they probably won't be in the hall at the same time."

"Would that be bad?" Mami asked, all innocent and with the energy I didn't have.

"Well, they don't get along. Gildarts is super strong as he's an S-class mage but he's also carefree and careless. Ivan's strong too, but not really in Gildarts' league but he thinks he should be. So they don't get along too well. But both are something like workaholics so we rarely have both of them under the same roof."

I wasn't sure what to say to that so I said nothing and just nodded.

I guess that I would meet the father of this body soon.

I just hoped it would turn out alright.

**Disturbance**

Gildarts didn't show up that day. Or the next. So Mami and I took another job with another wizard for once; Marduke could transform into various animals and was knowledgeable about herbs so agreed to take us along with him into the local woods. Mostly he looked like a red lion walking on two legs, including the furry paws. I wasn't sure if it was an intentional transformation that he kept up but it seemed like it.

We spent part of the day talking about plants and their uses, learned that the guild had an alchemist-styled healer in the woods that hated most people. It was when we were walking back that we heard an alarm sound. We were too far away to hear whatever announcement clearly or what the sirens were for...

"Gildarts is back." Marduke said.

"That's what those sirens are for?" I asked.

"Yeah, just watch the town closely." He told us.

It took a minute to see what was happening and then another to register that I wasn't seeing anything wrong. Buildings were moving. Not all of them but... "Why are the buildings moving?"

"So Gildarts has a straight path to the guild. The town decided it was worth the effort to do all that instead of constantly rebuilding houses he walked through without thinking."

"Huh." I said and let the pause drag. "Any idea of how long it'll stay like this? Because I'd like to deliver those plants to the client and I'm not sure where their house went."

"That is a good point, but things will shift back once Gildarts is at the guild."

**Gildarts**

Mami and I were in the cobblestoned area behind the guild practicing simple magic -avoiding the guild hall itself- when a large man with red-orange hair settled down next to us, black traveling cloak wrapped around him.

"So Makarov says that you're my son."

"He seems certain of it. I just know that my mother said that my father was a mage for Fairy Tail." So this was Gildarts?

"And who's this next to you?"

"This is Mami. She's my cousin." I give him a flat look and he didn't press further.

"And you're Enma." Gildarts said, obviously still shocked by the news he had a child.

I looked at the man and tried to not judge him harshly. He didn't know he had a child, as my mother had never told him. She hadn't lived to tell him even. "My mother's name was Mari, she died in childbirth so Aunt Mina and her husband raised me."

"Mari? Marie? In Fern village? Did she have red hair like you?"

"Mami, did our mothers' have red hair?"

"Yup, Mama wore hers tied up and in pictures Aunt Mari had hers loose but short."

"I remember them now. I was hunting ogres in those mountains just off the coast. Marie and Minerva Simon showed me how to get to the caves those beasts were in. That was nine years ago? Man, how time flies."

I shrugged. Simon? I _knew_ that name and this was stretching coincidence. Yes, I went by Kozato Enma because Kozato was Uncle's family name and he had accepted me into it. Had to have, as Mami didn't remember me not having it.

"I had a child before I ever got married to the woman I fell in love with. And then I lost her because I loved my work more, so she left me. Rightfully so. I know I'm not much of a father, wasn't even much of husband. But I'm willing to try and to give the father thing a try if you'll let me."

"That's fair." I agree. "Just so you know, about a month ago a dark guild attacked the village and hit me with a memory erasing spell. It didn't get everything, but it got a lot. Including how to control my magic and that's how I ended up killing everyone in the village except for Mami and myself."

The look of horror I got in return was expected.

The hug was not.

**Comfort**

"I'm sorry about that. So sorry." And he was. He was even crying as he hugged me. And it was awkward. So awkward.

"You didn't know, so what could you have done?" I said as I tried to pat him on the back. He was trying to comfort me and here I am trying to comfort him.

So awkward.

"Right. I didn't know." He said, as he tried to collect himself. Tried to be an adult.

"It doesn't make the past any better, but that's more reason to focus on the future and right now."

"Right. Makarov said that you guys had settled into a house over in the canal district. I suppose I should look into buying a house myself instead of just living in the dorms as I have since... if I did..."

"You already admitted that you love your work and trying to take care of us at the same time wouldn't work. You can't be in two places at once, teleportation spells have limits and projection spells have their own limits. But when you're in Magnolia we could visit... if you'd like."

"That sounds, great. Really great."

By which he meant better than he'd hoped for. And allow us a chance to get to know each other without being forced into roles we were ill-suited for.

**Magic**

"So Makarov said that you've been reading and practicing all sorts of magic, but not your gravity much." Gildarts stated, changing the subject.

"I really don't want to practice it against people. Lifting someone up is fine but..." Gravity was unforgiving as a power. Useful yes, for flying, for acceleration, to slow others down by increasing their weight. To go a smidgen beyond what a person's body could withstand was to court murder with a chance of suicide. Lungs needed a certain air pressure to function, the heart had to pump harder to move blood and more. All that before focusing on compression, which is where the lethality of gravity jumped from at best crushed limbs to dead bodies depending on what was compressed and how strongly.

"I see." Gildarts admitted, understanding the point I didn't say. "So that's what the other magic is for?"

"No!" Mami denied. "It's for camping spells! Starting a cookfire, getting clean water without a source and making sure you don't have to sleep on rocks!"

"Huh. That's practical."

"It's because Enma-nii's the best." Mami defended me, with a pout at the S-class mage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enma's not the happiest guy around, nor the most energetic. He's allowed a lazy day or two. Especially when you've been using up all your spoons. And putting off emotional issues.  
> And then getting an emotional, 'meet your father' day. Where you realize that your father has his own issues that he's not had a chance to work through. Gildarts is totally where Cana gets her 'avoid emotional problems for years' from. But Gildarts steps up to the role of 'father' as soon as he learns about it, so that's not really Gildarts' issues.  
> And yes, FT-verse does seem to have education problems. It wouldn't be surprising to learn that mages had a higher literacy rate than non-mages. Especially at younger ages, as we've seen children with the potential for magic be able to remember events clearly under the age of five. Oh and plot and blow up a magical research facility and read through half a library before reaching double digits ala Ultear. So Mami and Enma's behavior isn't that much of a stretch. Comparatively to every other mage kid we see, Natsu being such a dumbass is.


	7. Chapter 7

**Tricks**

"Camping spells? Do you like camping?" Gildarts asked, fumbling for a subject we could all talk about and not be awkward with.

"I dunno." Mami responded, shrugging for good measure. "When Mister Reynaldo took us to Magnolia, it seemed alright but I don't think he remembered how to have fun so it was different than if Enma-nii and I did it. Mostly we just stayed in the wagon."

"I'd rather enjoy it than not. Considering that trains only go so far and after that it's carriages, riding a horse or your own feet." Wistfully, I remember public transportation being everywhere, with times posted everywhere and reliable. And clean. There was an utter dearth of public transportation much less infrastructure for it; even in Magnolia, not all the roads were paved. Thankfully Fiore wasn't a giant nation; the length of travel distance along with border with Seven and Bosco it was about four days on foot according to people in the guild. The length of distance from the border with other nations to the sea on the west coast and back could be covered on foot in about two weeks, because of the necessity of going around mountains based on the distances involved.

"Riding a horse? Can we Enma-nii? Can we?"

"We don't know how." I remind her. It seems like a necessary skill to learn if we're ever going to leave Magnolia and do jobs like that. "Maybe we can ask that farmer we helped find his animals if he knows someone? It'll probably take some money for lessons though, including how to take care of the horse."

**Horse**

"Horses generally aren't worth the upkeep in having." Gildarts told us, and we turned to him so as to hear him better. "For the jobs in the local region we post jobs in the guild for, the trains get you in town faster and then it's not that difficult to get further transportation. Hitch a ride on a farmer's wagon, hire a local carriage or whatever. Even in larger towns without train stations, it's not that hard to get somewhere within a day's travel on foot for most jobs."

"But that's still not an argument against learning to ride." I interjected.

"It's a handy skill and something to learn. Some places, it's better to rent a horse and ride. Other times, being on a horse make either you or the horse a target."

"Thieves?" I presumed. Horses would require a place to live, food, and someone to take care of them while we were away. All reasons against owning one while living in the city. All reasons why owning one would be expensive. Never mind the value of the horse itself. How much were they worth and to who? And would run-of-the-mill bandits even care?

"To start with. There's beasts and monsters out there that love the taste of horseflesh as well."

I cut my eyes over to Mami. "They eat them?" She asked.

"If they catch them." Gildarts confirmed.

**Taste**

"Do horses even taste good Enma-nii?" She asked, following a much different tangent than 'dead horse, upsetting, I am upset.' For which I am thankful for.

"They might taste like beef? Since horses and cows eat the same thing? But sheep and goats eat grass too, so they might not. Maybe like deer? I think it would be expensive though, since horses can do so much. We'll have to try it someday if we ever get the chance. We should ask the butcher Miss Edna pointed out to us how much a cut would be, if he sells it."

I cast my eyes at Gildarts, who at least had the decency to look sheepish since eating horse was the sort of topic that would upset most young girls.

"So what do you want to eat for lunch Mami? Or even dinner?"

"Something fried! Maybe horse?"

"If the guild has it, sure. Otherwise maybe for dinner today or tomorrow, as I don't know a recipe for it."

"Or the tools?"

"Or the tools. If there's one thing I'm not looking forward to is buying duplicate pans and tools so that we don't have to worry about not being able to cook while out on a job."

**Spatial**

"You know you can take all of them and more with you while camping, right?"

"Wouldn't that be an excessive amount of weight?"

"But you can use magic. Re-quip's a simple spatial magic, where there's a small cost in magic for drawing and storing items within that space. You can't store living items, but everything else? Food, clothing, tents. I keep larger sums of money on me that way." He grinned in our direction. "Re-quip's known for being used for weapons, but it was originally meant for tools like hammers."

"That solves that issue." And meant I could take everything I wanted while camping on jobs that I wanted. From extra blankets to medical supplies to spare socks and weapons. Otherwise Mami and I would be limited to just a pack of what we could carry. Which as small children wasn't a lot, unless I was using gravity to my advantage to reduce the weight we carried. Then it would just be limited to how much magic and concentration I had. Which wasn't ideal. I'd still have to buy some things -stands to put pots and such on over the fire- but much cheaper.

"Does that mean we can go camping on a job soon Enma-nii?"

"Maybe." I paused to think. "Makarov doesn't let Laxus out of Magnolia by himself, so maybe if we took an adult?"

**Directions**

Gildarts snorted. "Nah, Laxus is more than capable of taking care of himself when it comes to magic. He also gets tired and lost easily." In other words, Laxus' constitution was the reason Makarov didn't want Laxus' out of Magnolia. A few spells and some exercise and he'd be easy pickings so if he got in trouble and had to fight...

"He has a bad sense of direction?" Mami asked.

"His mom has it too. Illaminuta's is way worse."

"But she seemed fine when she picked up Laxus the other day?" Other than the clashing animal print. No one should wear zebra stripes on a coat and a leopard print skirt.

"It's not that hard to find the guild; just head towards the lake."

That, I figured, was the sort of directions that you could expect from a mage to who obstacles meant nothing.

"There's even arrows on the street!"

There really should be a limit to how oblivious a person could be of their surroundings.

He had to be faking it.

I would accept no other option.

**Crush**

"So what type of magic do you use?" I asked.

"Well, there's requip," he said easily to which I nodded to, "there's a few of what you'd call camping spells, some divination spells for directions and finding lost things and then there's my signature magic. Crush."

"Crush as impact-based?" That sounded like it could get messy.

"The lower tier spells; higher based tiers are arithmatically and vector based and dissemble structures into cubes or into organisms that take up the same amount of space, which is a higher level of reconfiguration that's built into the spells so they're not inherently lethal. Uh, that's a bit technical."

"Not really. It just means that you use math to decide what and how much to take apart, in what direction, what size and shape to dissemble to and the area it covers and add power while keeping all those variables in mind." It sounded like geometry with a little physics. Basically decide an area, decide how much it's getting broken down and in what shape, dissemble it, go through the new path.

"That sounds like it's pretty easy Enma-nii. I wanna learn it." She looked up at me and then at Gildarts. "It's just taking something and turning it into cubes or something right? Have you considered triangles?"

"Yeah, it just makes it harder to put things back together." Gildarts explained, laughing at himself so I knew meant he had done so at one point. "Which can be done, the putting things back together bit."

**Oops**

"That's cool. Does it work against other magic?"

"Breaks it apart as well!" Gildarts punched forward in excitement and I saw a flash of magic travel down his arm.

And there went part of the brickwork covering the area behind the guild.

I watched how the water was cubed in that direction for all of a second before it started flowing back together.

"Did you mean to do that?"

"Oops." He admitted. "Crush Magic is hard to control."

**Caster**

"It's a Caster-type magic, so it should take actual mental effort to cast it because it is supposed to be shaped." I told him. Because that was definition of caster magic; magic purposefully expelled from the person's body instead of channeled through a tool. Caster-type magic took more mental discipline to use but it wasn't exactly hard to do so in a general sense. Kids could do it, although more complicated and sophisticated magic was generally beyond them, as they lacked the practice for fine control.

Crush being a magic that took variables into effect meant it should actually take more effort; familiarity could explain part of it.

Gildarts ran his hand over his face. "That's pretty sharp of you to notice that. But that's because of how I am. I hate taking things easy or going easy on anyone or anything. So my magic is hard to control because of it. It's just who I am, so the world's fragile."

I noted his eyes going distant then.

"The best things in life always are." I agreed.

We let the silence be undisturbed between us.

**Transition**

I'm not sure if the silence got too heavy or if Mami was bored but she decided to go back into the guild -dragged me in with her as well- and asked Brett the barman where Laxus lived, in between asking him if the guild served horse -no, too expensive and somewhat taboo in the more rural regions- and ordering lunch for us. The directions were vague in the way 'how to get there' but we got the street name and which house on the street.

"Do you want to visit him?"

She nodded, her worried brow briefly visible as red hair moved with her head. "He might be sick with something."

"Usually he's in every couple of days, even if he doesn't take a job." Not really something that he should do with a weak constitution made worse by exertion, magical or not. But at least he was confined to work in Magnolia or just outside it. To have not shown up for most of a week, I had considered that as well; the first two days were usual, three if his mother was worried, when it came overworking his body's ability to use magic but to have not shown up by day five?

"Alright, we'll go."

**Impression**

Finding the right street took a few tries; we ended up asking for directions and discovered it was only accessible through a smaller side street. Somehow in the building or rebuilding, someone on both ends of the street built over part of the street, turning a once wide street with greenery parting it into something like a gated community without the gate. More like hidden? Certainly cozy.

Most of the homes looked to be two or three stories, built next to and into each other in ways that said they shared a wall; _like European townhouses_ came the thought. Most of them were painted pastel colors, with the house with the red door and striking purple shutters for the windows being our target.

It was never a good sign when you could hear yelling and slammed doors before you even knocked. Before I was even able to suggest trying another time to Mami, an individual slammed through the red door and nearly pushed us out the the way.

"Scram kids." He sneered at us. "My son doesn't need any hanger-ons like you two, especially now that I've made him more powerful. Maybe now he'll actually be useful."

He pushed through us and I watched the dark haired man leave.

"I don't like him, Enma-nii."

"Neither do I." And in fact, I think I hated him already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering the limits of the train line ie we only know of it covering a portion of Fiore, other transportation methods are a must. We see horse-drawn vehicles like carts, so why do we never see mages on/owning horses? In two words, upkeep and vulnerable. Also Fiore is not huge; Natsu and Lucy go to Mt. Hakube and back within a day and Mt. Hakube is about a 1/3 of the length of Fiore (measured by the border with other countries) away from Magnolia so needing a horse to travel on is also somewhat extravagant, so target.  
> Named Laxus' mother for 'Illuminate' as in 'to cast light.' Since in one of the extra pages in the manga, Mashima says Laxus' name is based off of a measurement for light. As in 'lux' and so followed the vowel pattern established by Laxus' name ie change position of 'a' and 'u'.  
> Gildarts travels for months on end, away from civilization and seemingly carries only porn. Not anything like spare clothing, medical supplies, food, tools to prepare food, soap... no matter how strong a person is, tools are essential to living well. Gildarts knows requip and using it for camping supplies makes sense; Ezra has various magic tools she keeps on her like that.  
> Also that bit on Crush Magic? It's upheld by what's shown. It is supposedly complicated high level magic. Gildarts is smarter than he appears. Or else he wouldn't be able to use complicated high level magic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Unsatisfied**

I watched the dark haired man head around the patch of bushes and flowers that divided the street and stalk off around them. He looked like trouble.

Not just personal trouble. But the sort that would poison everything around him in pursuit of his own goals. I knew that sort of trouble. The underworld was rife with it.

Which was clearly the yearning for power. Naked ambition. It was that obvious.

And not even his own personal power. He was unsatisfied with that and wanted more of any sort of power; his type always did and didn't care what kind of power or how best to use it for what purpose. And he had been shaping his son with that sort of mindset.

More pressingly, when it came to people like that man, what would he even do with it if he had it? Be selfish and grasp for more? Be a tyrant? Did he even have a goal beyond more?

**Hatred**

_Parasite_ , I identified his type as. I didn't know the man but I knew his type from what I could remember; discontent with their lot, unwilling to change and work to circumvent their circumstances, bitter and cowardly when faced with someone stronger. Uncaring and probably abusive in his own way.

It seemed likely, as it seemed he didn't care about his own son's welfare. Even if he'd done who knew what to Laxus to 'make him stronger.'

I really didn't like him and the longer I stood there, looking at his retreating back and smug steps, the more I felt it grow into the start of _genuine_ hatred instead of just intense dislike.

I hadn't realized I had the emotional energy for that.

Or that I did consider Laxus a friend worth that sort of energy.

**Caring**

Friends cared for each other, I reminded myself. And so I raised a hand up to knock, only to paused with it in the air.

Would I really be welcomed? We weren't that close of friends, so would we seen as being too clingy if we showed up unannounced? What if whatever Laxus' father had done would kill Laxus? Or healed him? Although how more magic power would help when Laxus suffered from having too much to begin with was beyond me. But it'd be nice.

Actually, that last one would be a mixed blessing. Healthy in body was good, but... abuse did things to people's minds. Shaped thoughts and opinions. It was-

Mami knocked on the door, four quick raps on the door.

**Gems**

When had my arm lowered?

I felt low -like I was the worst- for doing that. That I had to be so pathetic for not even being able to knock on a friend's door. When said friend could be dying. Because of his father decided to turn him into an experimental project.

Fairy Tail as a guild... I knew enough to know that they wouldn't condone it. A lively bunch of drunks and misfits but they had morals and standards.

So as a member, I shouldn't let him get away with it. If he had done anything. He could have been lying.

Investigate first, Enma. Kill him later. Get enough gravity focused at one point and not only would the body be compressed to a pancake, they'd turn into ashes; the more massive the gravity, the hotter it was. Enough pressure and heat and gemstones could be artificially made. I had a flicker of recognition about that; I had done that before to get rid of corpses. The trickiest part was avoiding notice. Would be. If I was going to do that.

Jewelry? Gem trade? Yes, I knew that. Vaguely still. But something was appealing about wearing the corpse of your enemy made beautiful and more valuable than they were in life because they sparkled now.

Which proved that mafia-me was a special sort of twisted; I could not unsee those dangling crystal earrings. Or the necklaces. The chokers. The hairpieces. The rings.

Mafia-me really didn't believe in burying an enemy's body. Not when we needed the money and the influence the money could buy.

Now if only I could remember for what?

**Door**

Illaminuta opened the door, wearing a lot less clashing animal print than the last time I'd seen her; a leopard patterned top and ripped red jeans that looked to have seen better days.

"Oh," she said, the anger on her face disappearing as soon as she looked down at us. "Glad it's you two and not that asshole. Good. Come on in and don't mind the mess; I might have thrown a few things. Not that it did any good."

She casually picked up a dagger that had cut into the wood floor near the entrance as she walked further into the house. And a candlestick. And a potted plant that needed a new pot. We appeared to have entered the living room. I toed off my shoes. Mami copied.

The walls were red, the furniture was black and there were band posters hanging like they were art in frames. There was a guitar case on a couch, music sheets and letters on an end table next to it and a truly hideous zebra rug.

"Laxus' room is upstairs, first on the right. I'm not sure what Ivan did but my son's awake and stuck in bed until I know he's alright."

"Shouldn't he go see a hospital?" I asked. Magnolia had one, somewhere, I was sure. Or a couple of clinics at least.

"So a doctor can take my money if it's just a scare? Those jewels are going to go to a half-decent warder so I can keep Ivan outta my house; changing the locks did nothing." I tactfully ignored the remark of 'could've spent it on music or something useful instead of useless locks.'

"Magic wards?" Mami asked.

"Finding someone who's good at them is a chore; it's a niche field because it's difficult. Most mages are able to read but setting the rules down takes intelligence. Put the rules down in everyday language and everyone can understand them and so they'd be easy to break. So those mages use different languages and codes to make it difficult." She flopped gracelessly onto the couch and spun around so that her feet were hooked over an armrest. "Go on upstairs and I'll bring some tea up and do the hostess thing then and let you kids do your thing and talk magic."

That sounded like a great idea. Was better than standing around the remains of what had to have been a disaster of an argument.

**Groupies**

Laxus was in his room but wasn't in bed; sprawled over it, reading a music magazine with music playing from a nearby object that looked like a speaker connected to nothing.

Well, it didn't look like he was suffering. His room looked well lived in; posters taped and tacked up over the walls for various bands. Books and magazines on a bookshelf and dresser, some clothing tossed into a corner that looked a little too small. The colors clashed terribly; who made that sort of vivid electric yellow shade that offended my eyes?

Actually better question; how color blind did you have to be to buy something like that?

"Enma? Mami? What are you doing visiting?"

"We got worried."

"You've been gone all week!" Mami added.

"Ma's just being paranoid. My father's just riling her up like he always does. It's nothing new."

"He said he _had_ done something when we met him as he was leaving." I pointed out, tactfully leaving off the insult. "But I'm glad you're fine."

"I don't like your daddy Laxus. He called us hanger-ons!" Mami pouted. "I don't even know what that means!"

"He called you two groupies? It's not like you two are useless like hanger-ons are. You two are at least trying to improve your magic."

"Yeah, if we ever get stranded or end up camping on a mission we're set. But it's not like we can fight. I could but..." I wanted to not leave a trail of bodies behind. Or maimed people that didn't deserve it.

"But what?" Laxus asked.

"If I use Gravity directly on people, I could kill them easy. On accident even. Or cripple them for life." There were limits the body couldn't overcome. Even with magic or Flames. And murder was not a solution to all problems. It caused more. Especially if done badly.

"So learn another magic or punch them out. A lot of mages can't take a punch." Laxus explained, as he flipped a page. "And practice other things on monsters and beasts; you can even get paid for that. Vulcans are always a nuisance and are only trouble in packs."

**Sense**

Laxus spoke sense there; and without an attuned Ring, I couldn't use some of the worst of what I knew I was capable of.

Mafia-me really could have done worse than the gemstones. Gruesome things if he had ever wanted to. And sometimes had, in order to protect what happiness was left in his family; the mafia wasn't kind to happy. Especially when as a group we weren't that big and most of us were young and trapped in the life already by virtue of our blood and history. We looked like easy targets. We looked vulnerable.

Guess that was why I didn't believe in corpses; those were evidence that could be used against us? How escaped me.

But personal power wasn't everything. People were vulnerable to power applied indirectly. I wasn't sure how I had forgotten that.

I could do other things than use gravity directly on people; controlling objects around them, trip them up. It wasn't that hard.

It was simple and it was sensible. Just something to practice.

I felt something in me relax over that. Had I really gotten that worked up over that?

**Crustless**

"Hey, Enma-nii, why did you say I can't fight with magic?"

"Do you know how to?"

"It's like punching them with spells right? Or just going zap to them before they get you with a different spell? That's not difficult at all."

Illaminuta showing up at the bedroom spared me from answering. "It's harder in practice," Illaminuta assured us, holding a plate out with a few sturdy looking cups and some cut sandwiches on them. "But not too much. It really depends on the magic and how it's used. I don't punch people out with mine but it's not like I'm harmless without it. Mage work is dangerous once you go beyond chores and errands." She passed each of us half a sandwich, minus the crust and one of those cups. "Move over." She told Laxus, prompting him to stop monopolizing the bed; he was not pleased but didn't grumble about it, but that could have been the sandwich in his mouth.

I sat my cup on the floor next to me and took a bite of the sandwich. It tasted like sandwich; something green, some sort of cold cut meat, nothing special. Mami took her own bite. And then she looked at the inside of it and put the crustless sandwich back on the platter.

"That's rude Mami."

"It's not a sandwich if there's no crust."

"There's something between two pieces of bread, I think that makes it a sandwich, crusts or not."

"Still not eating it."

I shrugged, not having the energy to argue more than that; I'd eat it myself later or take it with me. Instead I was thinking about something else.

**Options**

"So you said the issue with wards wasn't the magic required to set them up or coming up with rules but with them getting broken by those who can read and understand the rules?"

Illaminuta finished drinking from the cup and kept it in hand. "There's a bit more to it than but that's the gist of it. If a person can't circumvent the rules, they have to drain or nullify the wards and smarter ones know how to layer them so attempting to do so is difficult."

"I know how to write Eastern." I admitted. I remembered enough about the wards around mafia-me's island to have an idea of how to set them up; a bit of reading to confirm it and I had something to use. "Wards for training Mami and me?"

She smiled. "Now you're talking."

**Objection**

"Hey! Why are you going to put up wards anyway?" Laxus asked, scowling.

"Bargaining," I explained. "I could ask others in the guild, but they wouldn't be invested in holding up their end of their bargain. I'd owe them a favor." And I didn't want them to have the leverage over me either. It wouldn't be comfortable; it's why I never bothered to see how much more I had earned from the death of Zombie Shuffle. If I did, I would only be able to use those funds when Makarov agreed to let me compared to mine and Mami's more meager earnings. If I let him keep control of those funds then he had to keep them, in case I ever did.

"Then why not ask my old man? He's better than a lot of them."

"Because I don't like him." Mami interjected. "He's mean and rude."

I shrugged and decided for a palatable truth. "He's also busy with jobs; Illaminuta's not likely to leave Magnolia for long stretches of time in case you get sick again. So available, willing and knows what she's doing. So why not?"

Illaminuta choked on her tea.

I feigned innocence to the innuendo. Badly, I felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally meant to write this chapter out earlier. Like before New Year's earlier. Also, stalled on Illaminuta's character for a while. I like what I decided on though. Music junkie, a little chaotic and upbeat when not stressed. Laxus takes a lot after her. Especially in the snarl. Ivan is stress and Laxus is a little schemer even at this age.
> 
> Enma is not impressed by Ivan's behavior. And is so down for murdering him for the possibility of Ivan having hurt a person he just decided is now friend. Knocking on doors and social interaction should not be more difficult than murder Enma.  
> Also, Enma failing at being a kid; it's hilarious.


End file.
